Voucher codes without permission

[Mogga]

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Now I know some companies are really hot on chasing up sites using codes they shouldn't but I've just seen a site listing a huge load of voucher codes which looking at the codes look like specific offers not aimed for a general market.

Do any program managers trawl for sites using them? And what happens if people are found to be using them?
Do networks chase up this sort of thing too?

Obviously if I stick only to codes I get given then I can not compete with a site offering dozens of naughty codes.

[Barry]

Hi mogga

I find this annoying as well, I have been contacted my most of the larger companies out there and asked to remove unauthorised codes, (which I spose is fair enough) - I now have to stick with what I'm issued from these companies.

I'm sure over time somebody will eventually find out they are using unauthorised codes and kick them from the program if they continue.

[Lee_Owen]

If companies invested a little more money in their voucher systems instead of just trying to give something en masse they don't really want to, then they wouldn't find their systems being cheated. Just a thought.

Anyone doing any football specials?

[Brains]

What type of football specials? We have some caricatures with football players...

www.drawme.co.uk

BRAINS

[Lee_Owen]

I was joking about the old washing powder vouchers that enabled hundreds to travel with one paying ticket holder I used to have somebody who did caricatures for my merchandise, but he disappeared to Italy, are you interested?

I always wondered whether I missed a trick and there was a software program that did it on the fly...

[Brains]

They are hand drawn...if you find a program let me know.!!!

PM me for other question.

BRAINS

[lowndsy]

Kai power Goo does an ok job, but get a decent book on it, some charcoal sticks, 4B pencils and a decent rotring marker and you'll be surprised at how easy it is to create a passable caricature. Of course, the really good examples are a different matter - some people just have more talent than others.

[euroffice]

Mogga,

PM sent

Cheers

James

[komrade]

Originally posted by Mogga
Now I know some companies are really hot on chasing up sites using codes they shouldn't but I've just seen a site listing a huge load of voucher codes which looking at the codes look like specific offers not aimed for a general market.

Do any program managers trawl for sites using them? And what happens if people are found to be using them?
Do networks chase up this sort of thing too?

Obviously if I stick only to codes I get given then I can not compete with a site offering dozens of naughty codes.

I think the problem in this case is not on the publisher's end, this is something the merchants themselves need to sort out asap. Affiliate managers running around the net trying to stamp out discount codes that aren't for general use are fighting a losing battle. If the music industry can't stop piracy of mp3's what makes the retail industry think they can stop the sharing of general codes? Even if all affiliates could be prevented from publishing codes loads of other sites and forums will continue to do so. There is no way to stop this on the publishing end.

The only way to correct this is for the managers and marketing directors to pull their heads out and either make unique codes tied to a user's email or publish a list of codes with full T&C's so that it is clearly and enforceably illegal to publish them or use them if not eligible. Obviously the first option is the best and many merchants already do this. Look at Maplin, not a big player, low-tech by the looks of their site, but they manage to publish a list of unique codes to each newsletter member monthly.

End of story. The situation right now is not sustainable.

[morleymouse]

merchants should just make it so affiliate codes, as in ones given out to specific affiliates give them the commission.

so merchant says here you go dan use this code on your site to get free delivery.

someone else sees the code on my site, nabs it, sticks it on their site with their tracking link.

user on their site sees it, clicks their link, soon as they enter the voucher code at the checkout their tracking is removed, and mine placed there.

would soon stop them stealing the codes....

[komrade]

That's not what the merchants are worried about. To be honest they don't really care who they pay the affiliate commission to.

The problem is that there are select codes that are given out by merchants through cross-promotions and special offers to "vip" customers etc. that have nothing to do with affiliates and that are being propagated across the net. The merchants are trying to crack down on this by pressuring the only people they can...the affiliate publishers. My point is that this is not going to help anything in the long run as these "select" codes are going to be distributed despite any of their efforts, the problem needs to addressed at the source.

[Graham@Buyagift]

If the music industry can't stop piracy of mp3's what makes the retail industry think they can stop the sharing of general codes?

Just becuase it can't be stopped it doesn't make it right.

Komrade, I agree with your point that it needs to be dealt with at source, but it's not necessarily that easy to sort out quickly and effectively.

Affiliate marketing is a partnership, and should a merchant who can't restrict these kind of offers want an affiliate to take the codes down, I think it's pretty fair that they should ask for the affiliate to do so.

I'm sure that 9 times out of 10 if the affiliate wants an 'exclusive' code the merchant will supply it.

Morleymouse, great idea. The only way I can think of doing this is by having a landing page on the merchant site that redirects though your affiliate link and automatically puts a discount into the basket. Again, this depends on the way the merchant has set up their discount function (something we certainly can't do at the moment!)

Graham

[komrade]

Graham -

I agree it's not right and that it's not easy to fix. However, my point is that resources should be allocated to fixing the problem at the source instead of managers and marketers running around the web trying to stick their fingers in ever-multiplying holes.

The recording industry analogy was simply to show that an industry with far more money and far more to lose cannot stop users sharing files, never mind generic text codes.

In the meantime the larger problem for marketing is the spread of cross-promotion codes that is skewing all their numbers. The pro-active action for this is to release equivalent codes through other channels and medium but most merchants are hesitant to do that (and it often doesn't work with their promotions).

The net provides a tool of mass interaction that we can't fight against. Why not manipulate and leverage the innate qualities of viral communication instead of trying to work against them? How can you as a manager and merchant take advantage of this mass of FREE and dynamic marketing?

(of course try to fit us affiliates in there too )

[Mogga]

A simple "use unauthorised codes and get your account cancelled immediately and never allowed another account" would do the trick.

It puts me at a disadvantage being honest and not promoting other codes ...

It puts merchants at a disadvantage not knowing how good their advertising has been if results are skewed in this way.

It also gives merchants reasons to cancel all commissions made using these codes even if our sites didn't give the code out.
(Wasn't this what one of the wine merchants did?)

[komrade]

Originally posted by Mogga
A simple "use unauthorised codes and get your account cancelled immediately and never allowed another account" would do the trick.

It puts me at a disadvantage being honest and not promoting other codes ...

<snip>

No it wouldn't do the trick. That's my point. These codes will continue to flourish no matter what. If people can share generic codes and use them successfully they will be spread and distributed through forums, newsgroups etc. For example right now the biggest culprit for misuse of these codes is a site with 40 000 members and no affiliate links. What are the merchants going to do about that? And that site is just one of many many.

Your second point is exactly correct, that's why this needs to be addressed at the source. As Graham says it's only right and polite for affiliates to take them down when asked but that's a very small percentage of the distribution channel so it's not going to help them and it's only going to hurt us.

Anyways, I think I'm about done discussing this There's some affiliate managers out there who really grok the dynamics and some are just clueless....time will sort them out